Smart building is a concept that is gaining importance in the market. The Italian all-in-one IoT solution MeshCube aims to use just that. It offers a wide range of smart building services, all united in one platform. In doing so, it relies on the Wirepas Massive technology. The wireless infrastructure with battery-powered devices also allows existing buildings to be upgraded intelligently – cost-effectively and without complications.
Table of Contents: What awaits you in this article
Smart Building: IoT provides necessary data
Our world is becoming more and more complex, and therefore the availability of data is playing an increasingly important role. Time is money and flexibility which is important because of today’s fast pace of life. Companies sometimes need real-time information about the condition of machines or the location of goods. The presence of staff in rooms also plays a role. Why leave the light on if no one is there? The concept of smart building meets these needs, which will become even more important in the future. A smart building has many advantages. In addition to better energy efficiency and more efficient use of space, productivity can also be increased, resulting in more satisfied staff.
Cost-effective data infrastructure: Is that possible?
Making a building safe, comfortable and intelligent can be challenging for companies. One problem is complex and costly installations that require new cabling and IT infrastructures. This makes expensive preparatory work necessary. For a new building, this may be acceptable in individual cases. For an existing building, however, cost-effective technical solutions are required that are also suitable for retrofitting. Moreover, the solution should not be dependent on the use of third-party communication infrastructures (e.g. WiFi). This is often accompanied by access restrictions or limitations on the quality of service. The key to a state-of-the-art smart building lies in an IoT-based data infrastructure.
MeshCube offers all-in-one IoT solution
MeshCube, from the Italian company BlueUp, is an all-in-one IoT solution. It offers various smart building services in a single platform. For example, MeshCube enables person location and security, asset tracking, condition monitoring and BLE beacons management. These functions are managed by the three core modules MeshIPS, MeshSense and MeshBeacon. The basis of the platform is the wireless mesh technology Wirepas Massive. It enables networks of thousands of nodes to be created, with native support for tag localisation, sensor/actuator integration and auto-routing.
Meshcube offers various smart building services in just one platform. (Picture: BlueUp)
Cost-effective infrastructure thanks to Wirepas Mesh
Without much effort, any company can set up a smart building due to the Wirepas mesh infrastructure of MeshCube. The wireless design based on battery-powered devices enables lowest costs for installation and ongoing operation. It can be scaled at will and without great effort; a specialist is not necessary for this. Moreover, no additional communication infrastructure (such as WiFi, LoRa, etc.) is required. Depending on the size of the network, more than one mesh gateway may be required. This is directly connected to a local server on which the BlueUp Processing Engine (BPE) is installed. Due to its interfaces based on HTTP or MQTT APIs, the integration of MeshCube into an end application for industry, logistics, hospitals or office management is very simple and straightforward.
Smart Building Services with the MeshCube modules
MeshCube comprises three modules that can work independently of each other. MeshIPS, MeshSense and MeshBeacon ensure that a wide range of use cases can be mapped. Naming already provides information on the abilities. For example, MeshIPS provides tracking functions, MeshSense provides a wireless sensor network and MeshBeacon is to be understood as a centralised monitoring and configuration system for BLE beacon fleets.
MeshIPS: enables intelligent tracking
MeshIPS is a flexible and easily scalable platform for locating and tracking people and assets indoors. No cabling is required to set up the localisation infrastructure. In addition, the platform natively integrates features designed to keep workers safe, including management of events such as key presses, vibration detection or personal injury detection.
MeshSense: creates connection between sensors and actuators
MeshSense creates a wireless sensor network of battery-powered devices that allows sensors and actuators to be connected in a single wireless infrastructure. A typical application is the monitoring of indoor climate and air quality. The Covid 19 pandemic has brought the need for a healthy habitat into focus. For example, various studies have shown that high CO2 levels (combined with overcrowding and poor ventilation) are associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. With MeshSense you can easily connect a variety of CO2 sensors to monitor the air quality in your building.
MeshBeacon: handles the management of BLE beacon fleets
MeshBeacon is a centralised, web-based management tool for monitoring and configuring remote BLE Beacons installations without the need for additional hardware. It enables the management of fleets of BLE beacons installed in buildings and used for e.g. proximity services, wayfinding and indoor mobile navigation applications. Checking the battery status or changing the transmission power of the beacons can be done from the comfort of your desk.
